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Entering the fifth inning of the Western Canadian Baseball League All-Star Game on Sunday afternoon, there was little in the way for offence for the host East Division.
In a span of four batters, the game at Cairns Field in Saskatoon flipped on its ear with the East driving home five consecutive runs.
Including a decisive, two-run homer off the bat of Medicine Hat Mavericks infielder Carter Roth to secure a convincing 9-2 win over the West Division.
“My goal there was just to swing as hard as I can,” Roth said. “We had a runner on and the boys in front of me gave me the momentum to just be myself there.”
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Roth captured All-Star Most Valuable Player honours on Sunday, as he finished his day 2-for-3 at the dish with a pair of runs batted in and a run himself.
The first player in Mavericks history to win All-Star Game MVP, Roth said it was a unique weekend in Saskatoon putting aside usual rivalries to link up with players in his own division.
“You play against these guys every weekend and then all of a sudden it’s like, ‘You’re my best friend now,’” Roth said.
The East has dominated the All-Star Game in recent memory, taking home the last three midsummer classics in the WCBL.
With two hits and two RBIs himself on Sunday, Regina Red Sox infielder Justin Simard was quick to accept bragging rights over the West Division.
“Three years in a row, so I love it,” Simard said.
The victory for the East wrapped two days of festivities at Cairns Field, the first time Saskatoon has hosted WCBL All-Star Weekend.
Saskatoon Berries pitcher Adam Korte had previously thrown in the 2025 All-Star Game in Okotoks, Alta., but said the environment was much different as the hometown team.
“It’s way different,” Korte said. “It’s way better when you’re at home. The fans showed up, they were real loud for us and we really appreciate it.”
Korte and his Berries teammates Ethan Murdoch, Gael Salinas, Dallen Rude and Gavin Panks all received thunderous applause from the fans who braved the heat on Saturday and the wind on Sunday.
While Panks is a long way from his home state of Louisiana, he felt right at home surrounded by Berries faithful this weekend.
“It was amazing hearing our names being called before the game and hearing the applause in the crowd,” Panks said. “It was really special for all of us, I know that for sure.”
Fans had to wait a while for the first run of the game, as the West Division opened the scoring in the top of the third inning with a single from Elijha Hammill of the Sylvan Lake Gulls to bring a runner home for the 1-0 lead.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth, as Simard singled to the outfield to bring home his Red Sox teammate Will Togher from second base.
That was followed up by a Joe Madill double on the very next pitch, as he cashed in both Panks and Simard for the 3-1 lead.
After a Robert Gurney fly out, Roth stepped up to the plate in his first appearance and took West pitcher Aiden Maxwell over the wall in deep centre field to make it a 5-1 game.
Energy City Cactus Rats infielder Dan Kawanishi got the West back on the board in the top of the sixth inning with a sacrifice-fly to score a run, but the East wasted no time in response.
The runs kept coming, with Simard and Swift Current 57’s outfielder Lucas Geisler driving in runs for the East along with a Team West throwing error to extend their lead to 8-2.
Catcher Gavin Panks (middle) celebrating his seventh inning home run at Cairns Field in the 2026 Western Canadian Baseball League All-Star Game (Steve Hiscock / Saskatoon Berries)
Panks added some insurance in the bottom of the seventh, as he blasted a Bradyn Schneider offering over the wall in right field for the solo home run.
“I knew he was going to try to go slider over the plate,” Panks said. “I told myself, ‘Stay on it.’ With the wind blowing the way it is today, I knew if I got it in the air it’d probably have a chance to go.”
Watching from the dugout, Korte said it was a big moment for one of his Berries teammates.
“It was electric, man,” Korte said. “We were hoping one of the Berries would just get a hold of one today. Off the bat, we knew it.”
Doused with a team cooler during his post-game interview on the field, Roth said it was a tight race for who would be named the game’s MVP.
“It was a little bit on the fence,” Roth said. “There’s a lot of guys with a few RBIs, I think it was teeter-totter. It could have gone to anybody, there some spotlight moments for a lot of guys out there.”
All-Star Weekend wraps in Saskatoon
While players from the league’s 11 other franchises loaded up on buses to return to their home communities post-game, players like Korte got a bit of extra time to soak in the memories on the field.
His highlights not only included getting to pitch a scoreless second inning, but also connecting with other East Division teammates he’d usually call rivals.
“The weekend was full of just meeting new guys, making new friends and seeing guys I already knew across the league,” Korte said.
“That’s probably the best part of the All-Star Game, just seeing all these guys in a less competitive environment and enjoying a ball game with them.”
The weekend, which was broken up into the skills events on Saturday and the All-Star Game itself on Sunday, earned the stamp of approval from several players including the MVP himself.
“Great work by Saskatoon,” Roth said. “It’s been so much fun, I feel like everything was taken care of super well and I just feel big time.”
2026 Western Canadian Baseball League All-Star Game MVP Carter Roth (pictured) getting doused following a 9-2 victory for the East Division over the West on July 19. 2026 (Steve Hiscock / Saskatoon Berries)
Months of planning went into executing All-Star Weekend according to Berries president Steve Hildebrand, who was able to exhale following the last out on the diamond.
“Talking to the players from both sides, they love how relaxed (Saturday) was,” Hildebrand said.
“The season is a grind, if they can come do this and have some fun doing it, good for them. I think we provided that to them and we provided a great experience for everybody.”
Sylvan Lake has been tabbed as the host community for the 2027 edition of WCBL All-Star Weekend, with the Gulls sending a large contingent to Saskatoon to view the behind the scenes work.
Hildebrand said while the event is heading west to Alberta next year, the Berries will be interested in putting on All-Star festivities for a second time in franchise history in the years to come.
“I think you learn as you go along,” Hildebrand said. “We learned some things about hosting this event too and we look forward to having it again at some point.”
Berries executives are also not stopping at just the All-Star Game framework, with the possibility of larger events now able to take place at Cairns Field after gaining hosting experience.
“It’s not only All-Star, but beyond that whether we bring in kind of a world championship of some sort,” Hildebrand said.
“We can start looking at these things as we keep growing and learning more as we go.”
The chase for the WCBL championship will pick up again for the league’s dozen teams on Monday with four games on the schedule.
Long-standing rivalries which were able to be put on hold for two days at least in Saskatoon.
“Obviously, after today we all go back to being opponents,” Korte said. “For today, we can be friends and enjoy this win together.”
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